A collection of sweet, tender, poetic, beautiful, heart-wrenching, sensual love stories.These stories share a common theme of love, set in a time period before cell phones and social media."Second Best" by B. L. Aldrich, performed by Hillary Huber. 1944. The South. Can a heartbroken young woman learn to love again?"Didn't It Rain" by Kathryn Burns, performed by Becca Balanger. 1964. Manchester. A teenager realizes her love for music...and for a girl."The Pai...

In 1756, New York State was still a British colony, and the French and the Indians were constant threats to young Edward and his family. When his father was called away to watch for a raid from the north, only Edward was left to protect Mama and little Trudy. His father had shown him how to use the huge matchlock gun, an old Spanish gun that was twice as long as he was, but would Edward be able to handle it if trouble actually came?Originally published in 1941, The Matchlock Gu...

This short story pulled from Seven American Stories, and originally published in Harper’s in 1930, is a classic of historical fiction.

In the town of Spring Haven, four children have been selected to compete in the national candymaking contest of a lifetime. Who will make a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Yellow Lightning Chew?LOGAN, the candymaker’s son, who can detect the color of chocolate by feel alone?MILES, the boy allergic to rowboats and the color pink?DAISY, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy as if it were a = feather?PHILIP, the...

This tale from Newbery Medal–winning author Walter D. Edmonds is based on a story found in Lydia Maria Child’s Letters from New York.An adventuresome youth determined to travel the world, Tom Whipple leaves his mother in New York and signs up for sea duty on a ship bound for Russia. As he sails, he makes up his mind to see the czar—and to present him with a gift.

This collection features seven tales inspired by America’s colorful history, from colonial times to the early twentieth century, including the Newbery Medal winner The Matchlock Gun.In The Matchlock Gun, young Edward must protect his family from marauding Indians when his father is called away. In Two Logs Crossing, John Haskell spends two harsh winters fur trapping with a wise Indian to pay off his father’s tremendous debt. And in Tom Whipple, a...

An absorbing, deeply moving adventure story from the Newbery Medal–winning author of The Matchlock GunWhen John Haskell’s father dies, he leaves behind a mountain of debt for his family to overcome. John had never given much thought to his father’s financial iniquities, but now he finds himself faced with the responsibility of paying back those who are owed.With the aid of an Indian trapper, John sets about the hard work of clearing his family’s name. Through two h...

In this classic short story, Newbery Medal–winning author Walter D. Edmonds tells the story of Uncle Ben, who, free of his domineering wife for a spell, finds a whale in the bay while out with his friend Henry. When they bring it back with them, they discover they can earn a little cash by turning it into a side show attraction.

Inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” Coral explores what it means to be human in a world where humanity often seems lost.Coral has always been different, standing out from her mermaid sisters in a society where blending in is key. She fears she has been afflicted with the dreaded Disease said to be carried by humans: emotions. Her sister had the Disease, and Red Tide took her away. Will it come for Coral next?Above th...

Clumsy, diffident Dick Mount and clever Maggie Gordon live in isolated clearings in New York’s Mohawk Valley. Both just sixteen, they are young and inexperienced—and unprepared for the tragedies that will befall them. When Dick’s brothers are killed by marauding Indians in the fall of 1777, and Maggie’s father falls desperately ill, they must turn to each other to face the perils of the time.Based on the true story of the Mount boys who were killed by Indians, Wilderness Cleari...

Teens and pre-teens flock to any new offering from New York Times best-selling author Gordon Korman. Told through multiple viewpoints, Ungifted follows Donovan Curtis and his year at a magnet school for gifted and talented kids. Thanks to an administrative foul-up, the decidedly mediocre student Donovan finds himself enrolled in the Academy of Scholastic Distinction. Out of place and out of luck, Donovan joins the robotics team. And while he learns a few lessons from his gifted classmates,...

Cadmus Henry, mounted on one of the finest mares in Virginia and perfectly turned out from head to toe, dreams of charging intrepidly into battle under the orders of General Lee himself. Unfortunately, young Cadmus can write and is therefore assigned to a desk. But when an unexpected chance to volunteer for scout duty presents itself, Cadmus jumps at it. He learns too late that that, rather than riding into battle and proving himself a hero, he will be floating over enemy lines in a balloo...